HIV: Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)

Topic Overview

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the
combination of several antiretroviral medicines used to slow the rate at which
HIV makes copies of itself (multiplies) in the body. A
combination of three or more antiretroviral medicines is more effective than
using just one medicine (monotherapy) to treat HIV.

The use of
three or more antiretroviral medicines—sometimes referred to as an anti-HIV
"cocktail"—is currently the standard treatment for HIV infection. So far, this
treatment offers the best chance of preventing HIV from multiplying, which
allows your
immune system to stay healthy. The goal of
antiretroviral therapy is to reduce the amount of virus in your body (viral
load) to a level that can no longer be detected with current blood
tests.

Antiretroviral medicines that are often used to treat HIV
include:

Nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase
inhibitors, also called nucleoside analogs, such as abacavir, emtricitabine,
and tenofovir. These medicines are often combined for best
results.

Protease inhibitors
(PIs), such as atazanavir, darunavir, and ritonavir.

Entry inhibitors, such as enfuvirtide and maraviroc.

Integrase
inhibitors, such as dolutegravir and raltegravir.

Some medicines are available combined together in one pill.
This reduces the number of pills to be taken each day.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends using one of the following programs for people who begin treatment for HIV:footnote 1

Efavirenz + tenofovir + emtricitabine

Ritonavir-boosted atazanavir + tenofovir + emtricitabine

Ritonavir-boosted darunavir + tenofovir + emtricitabine

Raltegravir + tenofovir + emtricitabine

Other drug combinations are approved and may be used in some cases.

Also, studies have shown that if you are not infected with HIV, taking antiretroviral medicines can protect you against HIV.footnote 2, footnote 3 But to keep your risk low, you still need to use safer sex practices.

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Related Information

References

Citations

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents (2013). Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents. Available online: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf.

Grant RM, et al. (2010). Preexposure chemoprophylaxis for HIV prevention
in men who have sex with men. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(27): 2588–2599.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents (2013). Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents. Available online: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf.

Grant RM, et al. (2010). Preexposure chemoprophylaxis for HIV prevention
in men who have sex with men. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(27): 2588–2599.

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